gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, archaeogemology, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, Mixtec, Toltec, Zapotec, lapidary

At Teotihuacan, the lapidary industry was one of the most important branches of production, exerting a considerable impact both internally and externally. Within the city, it played a significant role in the organization of prestige-goods production, the structuring of social relations and the maintenance of state ideology. Beyond Teotihuacan, it influenced contacts with other regions of Mesoamerica, particularly through the acquisition of imported raw materials. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about the actual conditions under which lapidary production was carried out. A study of archaeological artefacts manufactured from slate and jade reveals the existence of two distinct types of workshops, each employing different technologies and operating under different forms of state control.